rets with us, starting as a young girl
dreaming of Paris.AMA: Thinking back on those late afternoons when you admired the
Moulin Rouge print that hung on the wall of your grandmother’s home, what did
you imagine as you gazed at the picture?JCC: Summers at my French grandmother's
house, in Connecticut, were always a bit dreamy. I took afternoon naps in her
living room. And so, when I fell asleep on the couch staring at the picture of
the Moulin Rouge, I imagined a life that was very glamorous. The Guy Dessapt
print is from the Belle Epoch era, where ladies wore long dresses and really
big hats. Even the men wore big hats. I imagined that France was a place that
was lost in time and that if I were to go there, I would actually time-travel. You
know, I think this is the very idea that Woody Allen captured in his film "Midnight
in Paris." I do believe we all have this feeling that when we go to Paris,
we will reconnect with a bygone era. Of course, when I finally arrived in
France as a teenager in the 1970s, I found a very different place than what I
imagined. But still, I believe there is a connection to our collective past
that is still very much there–in the outdoor markets, the delicious smell of
perfume, the fashionable people on the streets and the tradition of café life. I
believe Hemingway's ghost still walks Rue Monge.AMA: What is it about your French
background that most impacts your writing and creativity?JCC: This may surprise
you, but I believe it's my French background that makes me a very practical
artist. My family was never very wealthy, but they lived a rich life. During the
Depression, my grandmother sewed all my mother's dresses for her to wear to
school. She cooked the most wonderful meals, with very few resources. My grandfather
had a big garden in the summer and a cold bin for vegetables in the winter. My
grandmother made use of what was available, but whatever she did, it was done
with a sense of art and beauty. I began my writing career as a poet, and then I
went on to write three young adult books in the 1980s (Over the Hill at Fourtee﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿

n, my most successful book, sold half a
million copies and was a Scholastic Book Club selection). When the YA genre
seemed to dry up, I went on to film school, wrote screenplays at UCLA, worked
in development at Paramount Pictures, and wrote a lot of literary short
stories. I also wrote a few novels that have never been published. But you
know, that's okay. I found a niche with my nonfiction/French women books. And I
am now writing a novel about three American girls in Paris for the first time. All
this is to say, that my French grandmother's example of coping and making the
simplest things artful (whether it's a pretty lace dress made from an old
curtain or a rabbit stew with garden vegetables) has taught me that anything
can be beautiful and well-made. It's a matter of intention. And so, while the
self-help genre might seem less than literary, I believe with honesty,
attention to detail, and an eye for beauty, the genre can rise to the level of
art.Publishers Weekly had this to
say of Ooh La La!:
"This charming foray into French femininity will make a perfect cadeau for any Francophile lady." For
more about author and teacher Jamie Cat Callan, visit Jamie Cat Callan.

Friday, May 24, 2013

For
years, fiction writers were exhorted to write what they knew — about stories, themes and characters. With virtually limitless
information now at the ready, we're more adventurous, exploring unfamiliar terrain.
Yet, the sage advice of writing what we know still applies, perhaps less to the
intellect, and more to the heart.It's
possible for a writer to have factual knowledge of her subject, but not intimate
knowledge. This doesn't mean writers must experience all we write about,
although the most meaningful stories have a kernel of truth. It does mean the
writer must have a feel for the subject, a passion for the work and a personal
sense of the characters that can't be achieved through research alone. Such
knowledge takes a willingness to spend quality time with the story and its
inhabitants on a regular basis, daily, if possible. Only time, and the trial
and error of revision, can create the kind of knowledge our mentors really meant
when they said, write what you know.For more on this topic, see this supporting point: “Write What You Know” – The Most Misunderstood Piece of Good Advice, Ever.And this counterpoint: Don’t Write What You Know.
Happy writing!

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About Me

Adele Annesi is an award-winning writer, editor, and professor of writing, English and English as another language. She is also a co-author of Now What? The Creative Writer's Guide to Success After the MFA. Co-founder of the Ridgefield Writers Conference and a professional book editor, Adele crafts articles, columns, reviews and stories for journals such as 34th Parallel, The Fairfield Review, Hotmetalpress, Feile-Festa, Marco Polo Arts Magazine, Midway Journal, Miranda Literary Magazine, The Pittsburgh Quarterly, Pyramid, Tertulia, The Washington Independent Review of Books and Southern Literary Review, where she was managing editor. Her work has also been anthologized for Chatter House Press and Fairfield University, where she received an MFA in creative writing. Her essay on Italian citizenship is part of the Clarion Award-winning Essays About Life Transitions by Women Writers, and her flash fiction has been adapted for the stage. A professor of English and writing, Adele is completing a novel set in Italy. Her website is Adele Annesi.